Safety Traveling with Children

Hi Jane -
The best advice of all is NOT to fret about "general chaos" and "criminals". Beside what you've read about pickpockets - and far more of us have NOT encountered those than have - there is very little violent crime in Italy, and even less of that which a tourist could encounter. If you're already in the know about moneybelts and other methods travelers on this site use to keep their valuables safe and sound, you're pretty much set. Carry yourselves with confidence and you won't look like an easy target.

You do know about making scans or photocopies of your IDs, passports, credit cards, etc. and keeping those separate from the originals? Those are you back-up documents should that small chance of theft occur and you need to get replacements.

I'd also be cautious about securing smartphones, should you have them, and never lay them on a cafe/restaurant table, and especially not if you're sitting outdoors. We also never, ever lay our credit cards on a table for waitstaff to pick up but place them directly into their hands when they come with the bill. Don't hang any bag you don't want to risk losing off the back of a chair in restaurants/cafes.

Keep your luggage under your own control at train stations, and if you're taking any day trips, I don't advise snoozing on the trains with unattended bags. Crowded buses and metros are also places to be especially aware of what's going on around you, OK?

But that's about it! Easy-peasy. Just relax and enjoy your time in one of my favorite cities!

If it is any reassurance to you, one of our driver guides advised us that although the petty crime reputation of Italy is well deserved, there are very few crimes of violence.

Thirty years ago, i had a lot of fun watching groups of Italian guys pursuing a girl in the piazzas, tailing them, approaching and circling, getting rejected and repeating with another girl. This happend a lot and in differnt cities. This time I didn't observe any of that. In Rome, I saw a lot of young tourist girls walking around in really short shorts and they were not harassed at all. So I would not stress over it too much (so says the father of sons, but no daughters). You just have to worry about getting sprayed with fake bird poo and having your wallet pinched while the pickpocket helps clean you up. There are lots of threads on recommended money belts and slash proof packs, etc. so I won't repeat.

Just in case you let the girls go out on their own be sure they have a card from the hotel with the address. I know they are young but you might allow them to walk down the street from your hotel for a gelato or something. (the 15 year old will be driving soon:))
Also, I would encourage them to write every day in a journal or trip log as well as each girl have their own camera to record the trip from their perspective. My grandkids are artsy so they always have a sketch book and usually watercolors and watercolor paper to paint. Have a great trip.
I would also ask each girl ahead of time to do a little research and possible plan a half day for the family. Gets them invested in the trip.

I don't know where you are traveling from but Rome is a lot safer than virtually any US city. The crime tourists experience is almost entirely of two sorts: pickpocketing by eastern Europeans who have free access to western Europe under Schengen -- organized crime groups who are efficient at petty theft but rarely violent and second, bill padding in restaurants.

Either is easy to avoid. Don't be a walking buffet; no one can pick a pocket that hasn't got money or a wallet in it. And always order items from a menu with prices listed and check the bill.

There simply isn't 'general chaos' and visible criminality. I have visited Rome several times and have never observed anything like this at all.

In the US, go into the wrong neighborhood and you can easily be shot and violent crime in 'nicer neighborhoods' is fairly common as well. This is just not the case in Italy.

Best safety advice is that each of you take only one carry-on luggage. Biggest target is a traveler who has two pieces or more luggage, or one bag at excessive weight that s/he cannot manage quickly and efficiently.

Pack bag under airline carry-on requirement. Pack bag to the weight each person can manage. Weight must allow bag to be under control at all times, whether walking, climbing, lifting, carrying.

Don't worry about the safety of your daughters in Italy. As mentioned above, any crime you would encounter would be petty thievery, which is easily avoided by taking proper precautions as listed in the Rick Steves books. I heartily second the suggestion to make certain your children keep journals, with their impressions of what they've seen, their activities etc. A nice souvenir when you get home would be to use shutterfly or one of the other photo book sites to create a souvenir trip book. Those are very fun to look at later and to show friends who are interested in what you have seen. Your girls could be in charge of this project.

Thanks, everyone. This is exactly what I needed! I will show the girls these responses so that they can be savvy travelers, too. And it is great reassurance to hear the I think I do have all the bases covered. I am not a nervous traveler - my husband and I traveled extensively for many years before we had kids, including all over Italy. I only ever felt unsure when I found myself in certain areas, which is not different than anywhere in the US. I just want to make sure that I arm my kids with the right information so they can travel with confidence, too.
You all are great! Thanks, again.

And don't sign any petitions, you will be asked for a lot of money as a contribution.

Good point from Zoe: you WILL be approached by some of those, and DO shake them quickly and firmly.

At least you will be far less likely to be the victim of violent crime than you are in the USA.